


It's Always Been You

by serendipitykpop



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-06-25 10:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15638754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitykpop/pseuds/serendipitykpop
Summary: "It's always been you and only you by my side."





	1. Chapter 1

“This prince is going to be the death of me one day and not in a good way,” You angrily grumbled as you stomped your way to the shop Baekhyun and a bodyguard were. You pushed the curtain away in an aggressive manner, making all heads turn to you. Your gaze turned to the prince who cowered when your eyes narrowed at him. He gulped as you grew near and took a seat next to him. He gave you a nervous smile through his guilty state and you sighed. The shop owner tapped his foot and crossed his arm, waiting for this situation to be dealt with. “What is it that the prince did now?”

“Him and his bodyguard had a little too much fun and ended up damaging part of my shop.”

Without a word, you pushed yourself up and bowed, apologizing for the prince’s behavior. You then lifted your head and turned to Baekyun and Chanyeol with a death glare. You pushed their heads down, so that they could apologize. With that, everything was settled and the three of you walked out of the shop after promising to pay for the damages.

“D-Do you think Y/N’s mad at us, Chanyeol?”

“I-I think so.”

“I’m having a different bodyguard with you next time.”

“What? But Y/N!”

“It’s not like I don’t like Chanyeol with you. It’s just that the number of damages when the two of you are together can buy out the castle.”

Sensing that you’ve cooled down, smiles broke out on their faces. They giggled and ran to catch up with you. You sighed and turned to them.

“But cause too much trouble and you’ll be dealing with me, got it?”

They quickly nodded their heads before turning back to their normal, cheerful selves. You escorted the prince back to the castle with Chanyeol, bidding him farewell. It was now just you and Baekhyun. He clasped his hands together and smiled innocently at you.

“Please forgive me.”

“Seriously, you’re too much.” You huffed, running a hand through your hair. “Fine.”

Baekhyun beamed and threw his arms around you, bringing you into a hug.

“Baek.”

He shook his head and hugged you even tighter.

“Thank you, Y/N. I mean it.”

“It’s no big deal, considering I do this everyday,” You scoffed, amused as you felt him twitch. He pulled away and fiddled with his fingers.

“S-Sorry.”

“Come on, you have things to do.”

He smiled and happily followed after you to his library. You sorted his books while he did his deskwork and grumbled about how boring it was. You simply ignored his complaining and continued with your work.

“All this deskwork is so tedious.”

“I could imagine,” You replied, pushing the last of the books into its spot on the shelf. You walked to the cart where a pitcher of water and an empty cup sat and poured some water. You placed it down on his desk and he gave you a thankful smile. “Don’t push yourself. Remember to take breaks, but don’t take it too easy or else you’ll have to be dealing with the elders and that’s a pain.”

Baekhyun chuckled and nodded, turning right back to his work after gulping down some water. Without looking away, he flipped his left hand onto its back and placed it on his arm rest. You let out a quiet scoff and slightly smirked as you rested your own hand there. He gave you a squeeze, a small smile gracing his lips.

“I’ll work hard, Y/N.”

“Mm, I know you will.”

“Just stay with me, okay?”

“As you wish, Baek.”

He giggled, shaking his head. “So formal.”

“So serious.” You loosened up and poke his forehead.

“Hey, now you’re distracting me!” Baekhyun laughed, grabbed hold of your wrist and bringing it down to rest on his arm rest. He smirked at you and you shook your head, chuckling.

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. It was nice seeing you smile.”

“Ah, when will you stop saying things like that?” You groaned, trying to pinch his cheeks while he pushed back against you. He laughed at your redden cheeks, teasing you on how you had a cute side. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

He finally let go of you once he made sure you weren’t going to do anything to him. “I should be, but someone distracted me.”

You shot him a glare and Baekhyun giggled. He waved it off, trying to get you to calm down.

“All right, all right. Enough with that scary look on your face.”

You huffed and crossed your arms, turning away. He watched with amusement as you stomped away while you didn’t realize how cute it was to him. You sat down on a chair that faced him and started to sort through documents. The more the two of you got done, the more things you could do tomorrow. At least, that was how Baekhyun saw it. Both of you worked diligently for an hour or two before you felt your brains give out. He leaned back against his chair and sighed, rubbing his tired eyes.

“All done!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“Not quite. Here are some more documents for you to look at.”

“What? But these weren’t here earlier.”

“That’s because these are for the damages you and Chanyeol caused.”

“O-Oh, is it?” He timidly laughed.

“Uh huh.”

“Can’t I settle these tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Just this one time,” Baekhyun tried once more, sticking up his index finger and wrapping his other hand around his knuckle.

“Baek.”

“Come on! I want to hang out with you and deal with these things tomorrow!”

You sighed and gave in to his puppy dog eyes. You placed the documents off to the side on his desk, making him grin with glee. He leaned back against his chair and thought about what the two of you could do.

“Let’s talk!”

“About?”

“Anything you want!”

The corner of your lips curved upwards as you took note of his appearance. Even though he was full of energy, his eyes were drooping and his breathing was starting to even out. You softly chuckled and walked up to him, causing him to be confused. You stood behind him and ran your hand through his hair as you leaned your elbow on the top of his chair.

“How about we talk some other time when you’re fully awake?”

“Ah, I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to get me to sleep by playing with my hair.”

“Am I?”

“So predictable,” Baekhyun whined, his body giving in and making him fall sleep. You chuckled.

“Oops.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Y/N!”

You heard the big doors swing open, causing a loud ruckus throughout the castle. You sighed and hung your head before looking over your shoulder to see the prince stomping childishly to you. You stifled your laughter behind your hand as you turned back to the ground. You pushed yourself up and dusted yourself off, twisting yourself on the heel of your foot to face him.

“What is it?”

Baekhyun was bent over, trying to catch his breath when he suddenly lifted his head. He wore a little pout and extended his arm outward. You raised an eyebrow and looked downward to see what the problem was. Your eyes widened as you spotted a dark bruise forming. You grabbed onto his arm and he winched, biting down on his lip from releasing a scream.

“What happened?”

He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. “W-Well, I may have tripped and hurt myself.”

“I leave you for an hour and this is what happened?”

“Well, you know how the bodyguards and I can get when we’re together.”

“I’m afraid I know it a little too well.”

You let out a sigh as you went back to your previous spot. You rummaged through the basket, picking up the healing poultice and bandage cloth. You walked back to the tear-eyed prince and chuckled. You had him extend his arm once more before applying the two to his arm. He instantly grinned when you finished. He pulled you into a hug and thanked you a thousand times over before letting go.

“Baek, you need to be more careful.”

“Mm, I will!”

You put your hands on your hips, giving him a small grin. He returned it with an even bigger smile that radiated lots of happiness. You shook your head and picked up the basket, resting it on your hip.

“Shall we head back to your library?”

“Sure,” He hummed, his steps having a little more bounce in them after talking with you. “Say, what were you studying today?”

“Just going over my notes of the herbs we have so far. After all, I have to be on top of that if a certain prince keeps hurting himself and I’m the one healing him.”

He giggled, giving me a wink. You shook your head and let out a happy sigh.

“I think I might leave the castle tomorrow to go see what I can find in the forest.”

“What? You have to take me too!” Baekhyun exclaimed, clutching onto your arm.

“Baek, you have your duties to tend to. You can’t just up and leave.”

“I can if you give Kiyoshi a convincing reason.”

“Baek,” You warned and he pouted, tugging more on your sleeve.

“Please? I don’t like staying in the castle by myself,” He mumbled, trailing off at the end as his mood took a 180 from his usual, cheerful self. He suddenly shook his head and wore a smile, not wanting to think more of those thoughts. “Besides, a prince can’t learn much about the town if he’s stuck inside all the time, right?”

You groaned, turning away which only made him smirk. He knew he had you now. He cleared his throat and continued with his innocent act.

“Please, Y/N?”

“I don’t like how persuasive you can be sometimes. Fine, I’ll talk to Kiyoshi.”

“Yay!”

You shook your head and quietly laughed. The two of you made small talk as you made your way to his library. Once you got there, you instructed for him to get started while you grabbed some food and drinks from the kitchen. He pouted, but let you go. You rolled your eyes, smiling softly at how you were going to see him in a bit and he still thought it was too long.

“Hurry back, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Baekhyun grinned at the door from where you just walked through and felt a familiar warmth grow inside of him. He leaned back against his chair before squirming around, all giddy. After he released all of his happiness, he let out a sigh right when you came back. You glanced upward, expecting to see him fooling around as he always did to tease you. Though, this time, he was very serious and went through the documents like his life depended on it. You smiled to yourself and nodded an approval.

“Ah, you’re back.”

“Mhm, here are your snacks and water.”

“Thank you, Y/N.”

“It must be some serious stuff if you’re concentrated that hard.”

“Nope, it’s a heart with your name in it.”

You stared blankly at the cheeky prince grinning up at you, his proud work raised to show you. You facepalmed and his lips turned into a pout. He looked back at it and wondered where he went wrong.

“What? Is it the color?”

“You’re supposed to be doing your work, Baek.”

The prince averted his attention to you and instantly cowered. He let out a yelp from the scary look on your face. He gulped and nodded, scrambling to sit up right in his chair.

“L-Look, I’m doing my work! So you don’t have to kill me, all right?” He exclaimed, pulling out documents as you pushed against the falling pile from him grabbing in the middle. He sheepishly smiled and you sighed. You made sure it wasn’t going to tilt more than it was before getting started on your work.

“Why are you so scary for such a quiet person?” He grumbled under his breath, whining a bit. One side of your lip curved upward and you scoffed.

“I heard you.”

“You were supposed to, you meanie!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m such a meanie.”

“Seriously!” He huffed, finally getting serious about doing his work. You watched him with amusement, stifling your laughter behind your hand. You walked over to him and ruffled his hair, hearing a giggle escape from his mouth. He grinned up at you, making a smile appear on your face as well.

“Does that mean?” You trailed off.

“Mm! You’re forgiven!”


	3. Chapter 3

Baekhyun happily skipped through the halls of the castle, hoping he would find you on his way. He was walking past the kitchen when he backtracked and stopped. A big smile graced his lips as he spotted you all alone, making something at the counter.

“Y/N!” He exclaimed and giggled, dashing towards you. Before you had the chance to turn to look who it was, he glomped onto you. You groaned from the impact, your eyes widening as you realized the two of you were falling. You wrapped your arms around him and landed harshly on your back. Baekhyun let out a scream and cupped your face into his hands. “Y-Y/N, ARE YOU OKAY? ANSWER ME, DON’T DIE ON ME.”

“I’m fine,” You softly chuckled. Though, the pain in your back was bothersome. He let out a sigh of relief and relaxed, pulling away from you. You cleared your throat and he giggled, climbing off of you as you sat side by side.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.” You ruffled his hair and that made him smile. “But Baek, do you always have to greet me that way? Actually, why do you?”

“Huh? It’s because I’m excited to see you!” He beamed.

“But that excited?”

“Mm! I’m always happy to see you since you make my day by simply existing.”

You scratch the back of your head and sighed. “So straightforward.”

“I guess so,” He laughed and the two of you pushed yourselves off the ground. You went back to the task at hand while Baekhyun watched you from the side. “What’re you doing?”

“Making a late night snack.”

“For who?”

“For me.”

Baekhyun jutted out his bottom lip and you softly chuckled, watching as he fiddled with his fingers. You were about to ask him if he wanted some when he threw his arms around you and shook you side to side.

“But what about me?”

“What about you?” You raised an eyebrow, looking down at the whining and pouting boy. He let out a huff and stood upright with his knuckles on his hips.

“Don’t I get some?”

“You didn’t ask.”

He opened his mouth to do so when he stopped himself. He stomped his feet and crossed his arms, looking away. You rolled your eyes and laughed, giving in.

“Do you want some then?”

“You betcha!” Baekhyun beamed, turning to you and taking a bite. He didn’t forget to fed you some as well.

“Baek, you’re like a child.”

He further proved your point by happily humming and eating the snack. You shook your head and smiled. The two of you went back and forth until there was no longer any pieces of it. He let out a satisfied sigh before frowning shortly after.

“Hm?”

“I’m still hungry.”

“Ah, I am too. How about we have some leftover cake?” You offered, walking to the fridge and searching for it. Baekhyun pulled out chairs for the two of you while you placed it on the table. You grabbed spoons, but he shook his head.

“We only need one. We wouldn’t want to waste all of the spoons, now would we?”

“I guess not?” You didn’t question him or his reasoning, so you just took a seat in front of him. He stuffed a spoonful into his mouth and smiled, letting out a sigh of content.

“So good!” He beamed, taking another bite. You rested your chin on the palm of your hand as you watched him enjoy himself. You chuckled and opened your mouth to be fed which he happily did. “We should do this more often, Y/N.”

“Hm? You mean eat cake when you’re supposed to be in bed?” You raised an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look. He nervously laughed and took another bite, so he wouldn’t have to answer. “Well, you deserve a break here and there, so I guess I’ll let it slide this time.”

Baekhyun smirked and nudged you in the side. You chuckled. The two of you ate and made small talk until you finished the whole thing.

“Woah, I didn’t realize we ate it all.”

“It wasn’t for anything important, right?”

“No, it was something I made,” You said nonchalantly. He stared at you, then at the empty plate and back at you.

“YOU MADE THIS? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?”

“Because I didn’t think it was a big deal?”

“IT IS A BIG DEAL! YOU MADE THIS CAKE AND IT WAS DELICIOUS! I WOULD’VE SAVORED THE TASTE MORE IF I KNEW IT WAS YOURS!”

“Baek, lower your voice. It’s late,,” You scolded and he giggled before a frown appeared on his face.

“I mean it, Y/N! I like when you cook and bake. Your creations are more delicious than what the cook makes,” He said with a mischievous look in his eyes. Your cheeks flushed from the compliment and you shook your head.

“Don’t let Mr. Yoshi hear that.”

“But it’s true.”

“Well, thank you.”

“Will you make more again? Just for me?”

“If you’d like me to.”

“Yes, please.”

You hummed and nodded. “Did you really like it that much?”

He blushed and shyly smiled, fiddling with his fingers. “It was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“Now you’re exaggerating.”

“No!” Baekhyun argued, following you around as you cleaned up. He continued to disagree as the two of you made your way to his bedroom. Before you walked in, he grabbed hold of your wrist and spun you around. He poked you in the forehead, then crossed his arms. “Believe in your skills, Y/N.”

Your eyes widened at his scolding. As fast as his frown appeared, it vanished just as fast and was replaced with a smile.

“I’m not leaving here until you admit it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“Baek,” You sighed. He shook his head stubbornly and put his foot down.. You bit down on your lip to stifle your laughter from his childish act.

“I’m not going to bed until you say it.”

“It was the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted.”

“More spirit!”

“Baek,” You warned and his eyes widened from your sharp tone. He let out a squeak and hurried inside, closing the door after him. You let out a sigh and were about to walk away when something grabbed your wrist. You were spun around to meet the prince’s cheerful smile once more.

“I almost forgot to say it, but goodnight, Y/N!”


	4. Chapter 4

“Is there anything else on the list I have to get done?”

You flipped through the pages upon pages to see everything was complete. You looked up at the prince and shook your head, making him break out into a grin. He threw his arms up and stretched his aching limbs. He then looked over at you and smiled even brighter if that were possible.

“I have the rest of the day to be with you now.”

You softly chuckled. “I suppose that’s the case.”

“Brother.” At the sound of that voice, Baekhyun scowled and his mood instantly depleted. He let out a tired sigh, turning to the person who called out to him and disturbed his time with you. There, stood his three younger half brothers.

There was Baekhyeon, who was the oldest at twenty years old. He was known to be the more quiet one out of the three of them. He held a lot of knowledge and because of that, he can be quite discreet about how he did things.

Then, the second oldest was Baek-Ah at nineteen. He was the most serious one out of the brothers. He tended to be very harsh on others and even himself when he came to things getting done.

Last came Baekhan, the youngest at seventeen. He was the most of the flirtatious of his brothers. Because he knew any person would fall for his good looks and charms, he was very full of himself.

“Y/N, it’s good to see you as well,” Baekhan cooed as the three of them walked over. He was in the middle while the other two were on either side of him. He wore a cocky smirk as his eyes traveled up and down your body. You sighed tiredly and looked away. Baekhyun stepped forward and clicked this tongue.

“What are the three of you doing here?”

At the sound of his voice, Baekhan’s attention averted to his brother. He opened his mouth to answer when Baek-Ah did it for him.

“We came to pay you a visit, brother.”

“Aw, come on! You stole my thunder!” Baekhan whined and his older brother rolled his eyes. 

“So immature.”

“What did you say?”

Before an argument could happen, Baekhyeon intervened and hit the two of them with his book. They winched, holding their heads in pain as they shot him a glare.

“Both are immature,” He scolded and turned to Baekhyun, bowing. “Brother, it’s good to see you again.”

“Father isn’t around, so you don’t have to act like we get along.”

“Very well then,” Baekhyeon stood upright, but it seemed he wasn’t bothered by Baekhyun’s sharp tone.

“So Y/N, what do you think? I’ve grown up pretty well, don’t you think?”

“You’re still a minor. What have you grown from?” Baek-Ah clicked his tongue and Baekhan’s jaw dropped.

“I have grown! Y/N thinks so too, right?” His attitude changed immediately when your eyes met. You stared blankly at him before flipping through the paperwork to pretend you were busy. He huffed and pushed his hair out of the way, acting as if it didn’t affect him. “Hmph, no matter. I’ll get Y/N to fall in love with me.”

You bit your lip to contain yourself from cursing him out. Probably have sensing that, Baekhyun stepped up.

“Enough fooling around. Tell me what you’re doing here before I have you escorted out.”

Chills ran down your spine at his unusual tone. This was the one he only used when his half brothers were around and you were still not used to hearing it everytime.

“Brother, how many times do I have to repeat myself?” Baekhyeon let out a laugh and pointed his book at Baekhyun. “We’re here to visit you.”

“Liar.”

“What a headache,” Baek-Ah grumbled, running a hand through his hair. “We just wanted to say hi and see Y/N before we headed to father’s castle for his birthday celebration.”

“Well, now that you’ve done both things, please leave.”

They clicked their tongue as the four engaged in a glaring contest. It was only then did you step in. You pushed yourself between Baekhyun and his brothers, sending a glare their way.

“Enough. It’s about time prince Baekhyun leaves to tend to other matters. I deeply apologize for having interrupted, prince Baekhyeon, prince Baek-Ah and prince Baekhan.” You bowed to each of them and they frowned. “We’ll be seeing you at the king’s castle tomorrow.”

“Ah, no fun!” Baekhan whined after you sent some servants to escort them out. You glanced at Baekhyun who was absolutely fuming and you sighed. You placed a hand on his shoulder and you felt him physically relax. His breathing evened out and he mumbled a thank you. You softly smiled and patted his shoulder.

“Come, it’s time for you to take a bath.”

Baekhyun took one last look at his brothers before following after you. From being away from their presence, he was back to old self. You drew his bath for him and covered your eyes while he got undressed.

“Y/N, you shouldn’t cover your eyes. You already know what I look like, considering you saw me when I was young and that other time.”

“That was by accident. Baek, you promised you wouldn’t bring that up and yet you say that exact line every time you take a bath.”

He giggled, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

“I know, I know, but hey. You should join me,” He wiggled his eyebrows. You clicked your tongue and pointed at the bath.

“Get in the bath.”

He held his hands up in surrender and did as you said. You tiredly sighed and dropped your hands to your side while he laughed. He let out a sigh of relief, sinking further into the water until it was only his shoulders and head that showed.

“Are you feeling better now?” You asked and sat down behind him, your feet crossed on the floor. He nodded and allowed himself to really relax this time. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, letting his troubles float away. He let out moans as you massaged his head to wash his hair. You bit your lip and shook the thoughts out of your mind, blushing a deep red. He finally stopped once you made sure it was covered enough and washed it with water. You then tied his bangs up to make him have the apple style.

“I’m so spoiled by you, Y/N.”

“I guess,” You sighed, pouring water on his hair over and over. He hummed, smiling softly at the feeling.

“You should join me next time.”

Baekhyun looked up at you, only to be splashed with water. He coughed as you patted his back with no remorse inside of you.

“Y/N!”

“Sorry, I missed.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Are the horses ready to go?”

You nodded, helping the bodyguards prep them for the journey to the king’s castle. Kai, who was closest to you, looked over and saw how focused you were.

“Shouldn’t you be with Baekhyun?”

“I should be, but he told me to go help instead. He’s been locked in his room for awhile now and won’t be coming out until we leave.”

“He’s been in a foul mood all morning. I wonder what the matter is,” Chen mumbled.

“I’m guessing it’s because of his brothers?” Suho interrupted and you sighed, nodding.

“Why do those princes have to cause so much trouble for our prince?” Sehun grumbled and you hit the back of his head. He winched and held it in pain as he glared at you.

“You can’t say those things, Sehun.”

“But that’s how you feel as well, Y/N,” Lay chuckled.

“That may be so,” You cleared your throat. “But we can’t just say these things nonchalantly.”

“It’s not like the prince minds. He agrees with us,” Xiumin comments.

“Ah, what a troublesome trio,” Chanyeol groaned.

“All right, enough. Let’s not talk about this subject any further.”

“DO’s right. Today’s the king’s birthday and we’re supposed to be cheerful.”

As you said that, the boys forced happy smiles and you chuckled.

“Is this good?”

“I’m sure Baekhyun will appreciate the effort, Kai.” 

The eight of them erupted into laughter and you even cracked a smile yourself. You were happy that they could joke around like that and hoped that Baekhyun would do the same today. Though, that seemed like that won’t be the case when a guard announced the prince had arrived. He looked tense with a scowl prominent on his face and a scary aura around him. No one dared to say a word when he stopped in front of you and the bodyguards.

“Your horse is ready for you, Baek,” You bowed and he nodded, simply climbing on without protest. Usually, he would mess around a little with the eight guards before you could leave, but it didn’t look it was going to happen. The guards looked at you and you waved it off, signaling them to get into position. You climbed onto your own horse and rode alongside DO as you began the journey.

“Is he going to be okay?” 

You sighed, not knowing yourself. “I don’t know, DO.”

“Those brothers need to cool it.”

“As if that would make a difference. Just their presence is enough to tick the prince off.”

“You’re going to have lots of fun dealing with that,” He teased and you chuckled.

“Oh, yeah. Lots of fun when I have a scowling prince and three more trying to win my heart.”

The rest of the ride went without a problem as you reached the castle. The pace was slowed down and the mood was quite tense once you got past the gates. There, Baekhyun came out after you all came to a stop. He nodded towards you and you followed after him to the main room while the others got situated in the castle.

“King, prince Baekhyun is entering.”

“Son, it is good to see you,” He greeted with a stern tone, placing down his tea cup. Baekhyun got on his knees and bowed while you slightly bowed beside him. “Ah, I see you’ve brought Y/N as well.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, King.”

“It certainly has been a while,” He acknowledged you. Baekhyun then sat up on his knees and waited for his father to speak once more. “Have you seen your brothers, Baekhyun?”

“I have, father. They came to my home yesterday to greet me.”

The king smiled in satisfaction at his sons getting along. Though, you knew better from the way Baekhyun’s fists clenched in his lap.

“You must be tired from your trip, why don’t you go rest? It’s late in the night after all. We have your old room set up for you.”

“Yes, father,” Baekhyun said and bowed once more as a sign of gratitude. He then pushed himself up and you followed after him to his bedroom. He was met with the eight bodyguards who were awaiting his arrival. Kai and Sehun had their arms crossed, leaning against the dresser. Chanyeol sat beside them on the dresser with one leg up and the other dangling, his arm resting on his knee. DO leaned against the spot next to the door with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Suho and Lay sat at the table, going over military strategies. Chen was making sure the room was fit for the prince while Xiumin was fixing him a cup of tea. “You’re all here.”

“Where else would we be if not beside you, prince Baekhyun?” Suho chuckled, which made him finally crack a smile. He took a seat on one of the benches and thanked Xiumin for the tea. He took a sip, pleased to see it wasn’t too hot and downed it all.

“I haven’t been here for five minutes and I can already feel the stress,” Baekhyun clicked his tongue. You stood beside him as he asked for another cup of tea. The door was suddenly swung open and in walked the three princes. Everyone went still and quiet, but you could feel the anger radiating off their bodies.

“Ah, so I see you have your bodyguards with you at this hour and oh, Y/N’s here as well,” Baekhyeon spoke before subtly smirking your way. You heard Sehun click his tongue and you sent him a glare to signal for him to stop. You then bowed towards them and that seemed to make them happy for some reason.

“It’s good to see you came, Y/N,” Baek-Ah nodded and walked up to you. He grabbed your chin in between his thumb and finger, staring deeply into your eyes. You froze in your spot, not knowing how to react. You saw a hint of mischief in his eyes, which surprised you for he never had that look.

“Baek-Ah! I told you Y/N’s mine,” Baekhan exclaimed, shoving his brother aside. He slung his arm around your shoulders and brought you into him. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

“You’re too young. Y/N doesn’t want a boy for a lover. I believe Y/N would want a man like myself,” Baekhyeon cleared his throat behind his book, trying to make himself more appealing.

“I’m nearly an adult, brother!” He argued before chuckling lowly and licking his bottom lip. “And when I am, I can show Y/N-”

“You’re seventeen,” Baek-Ah hit him in the back of his head, making him complain about the pain. While this went down, you glanced at Baekhyun and your eyes widened. He was trembling with anger and the look in his eyes looked deadly. Catching your gaze, he pushed himself up and his bodyguards snapped out of their trance of anger. They started to look nervous and you could see why. There was that look of absolute hatred that was only ever there when his brothers were around. You slowly inched away from Baekhan’s grip, but he took notice and pulled you closer to him.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let go of Y/N now.”

“Oh, it looks like we’ve made Baekhyun angry,” Baek-Ah rolled his eyes while the prince finally let you go.

“Only because we touched Y/N,” Baekhan laughed.

“We have the right to be near Y/N as much as we want. It’s no different than you being with Y/N, Baekhyun.”

Sensing the tension between the four of them, you stepped in between their staredown. You sent a glare to the three of them, which made them flinch from how cold you looked.

“Prince Baekhyun needs to rest as he was on a long journey. I would like to kindly ask for you to leave since you three must’ve endured the same feeling.”

They stared at you before leaving without another sound. The eight bodyguards physically relaxed and let out sighs of relief.

“I thought I was going to suffocate from how tense that was,” Chanyeol let out.

“I almost forgot to breathe,” Sehun sighed.

“I can see now why the prince would be in a bad mood. He’ll have to deal with them for a few days and they won’t stop their flirting with his-”

Suho was cut off by the raise of Baekhyun’s hand. “Enough, you’re dismissed. I need to rest.”

Baekhyun clutched his head in pain and you could probably guess that he got a headache. The eight of them looked at each other, then back at the prince and bowed.

“If you need us, we’ll be outside,” Chen reminded him and Baekhyun nodded.

“Yes, thank you.”

Baekhyun let out a tired sigh and collapsed onto his bed. He rested his arm on his closed eyes and finally relaxed. You walked over to him and placed a damp cloth on his forehead after removing his arm from there. You were about to stand up to make more tea when he grabbed hold of your wrist.

“Can you stay with me?”

“Of course.”

“You’re the only thing that can make me feel better right now,” He mumbled after some time of silence.

“What about the eight bodyguards outside?”

He softly chuckled. “Of course, they can cheer me up as well, but you’re the one who has the greatest impact.”

“Mm,” You hummed, running your hand through his hair as you sat beside his bed.

“It seems I may have scared them though.”

“I think you did too. Actually, I can hear them talking about it outside right now.”

“Probably. Ah, I should apologize to them in the morning for causing so much trouble.”

You smiled softly at your warm-hearted prince.

“I don’t think there’s a need to. They know you mean well.”

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at you. His thumb ran over your knuckles as a thankful smile graced his lips.

“How do you always know what to say to take away all my worries?”


	6. Chapter 6

You and Baekhyun walked through the halls of the castle, discussing plans for the king’s birthday celebration.

“Do you have your gift prepared?” You asked. He scratched the back of his neck and nervously laughed. You raised an eyebrow and stopped in your tracks, making him stop as well. His eyes averted elsewhere when you gave him a cold stare. “Baek.”

“Well, I kind of don’t have one?”

You stared blankly at him and pinched the bridge of your nose. “You mean to tell me that you came to the castle with no gift ready for the king?”

“I was hoping the two of us could go into town to look for one when we got here.”

You sighed and nodded, cracking a small smile.

“Very well. We’ll go after we get some more things finished.”

Baekhyun broke out into a smile and nodded, instantly perking up. You were rounding the corner when you bumped into someone. Catching a glimpse of who it was, you bowed.

“Forgive me, prince Baekhan.”

“Hm?” He hummed boredly, uninterested at first. His frown turned into a smirk as he grabbed onto your hand and made you stand up. He placed a kiss on your knuckles, making sure to keep eye contact with you the entire time. You cleared your throat and retracted your hand. “Y/N, you are forgiven. Oh, Baekhyun. I didn’t see you there.”

“As if you would’ve cared anyway,” The prince clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, looking elsewhere. The younger boy turned back to you and grinned. Before he could say a thing, two figures crept up behind him and towered over him. He sighed and turned around while you bowed. They acknowledged you and had you stand up.

“Why do you two always have to show up whenever I see Y/N? It’s like you’re trying to ruin my chances!” He whined and his brothers scoffed.

“What chances?” Baekhyeon snickered behind his book.

“We just happened to pass by is all,” Baek-Ah piped up.

“How convenient,” Baekhan clicked his tongue.

“Y/N, what were you and our brother up to?”

“We were just discussing plans for the king’s birthday, prince Baek-Ah.”

“Ah, why are you formal with us? Can’t you just act how you would with Baekhyun?”

You glanced over at the scowling Baekhyun, then back at his brothers. You bit your lip in uncertainty and the boy by your side took notice. He softly smiled and averted his attention to his brothers, his frown coming right back.

“If you’ll excuse us, we have business to tend to.”

“Oi. Y/N didn’t get to speak,” Baekhan complained.

“Y/N doesn’t have to,” Baekhyun intervened and waved for you to follow after him. You nodded and bowed to the three princes before going to his side. You mumbled a thank you, thinking you were in the clear when Baek-Ah called out once more. Baekhyun faced forward while you turned to them.

“Let’s walk together,” Baek-Ah said curtly and your lips parted in surprise. You glanced at Baekhyun who only said nothing.

“They’ll follow regardless of what we say.”

With that, the two of you made your way to the town in search of a gift. Whenever Baekhyun managed to find something and was about to show you, Baekhyeon would steal your attention. He would go on spiels about the object in his hand before Baek-Ah intervened and asked you about your opinion on something he found. Then, it would be Baekhan who came over and pull you through the shop to just mess around. Though, it would always end up with the three of them fighting over your attention and you’d come back to your prince. He’d give you a gentle smile and continued shopping with you until they took notice of your absence and the cycle repeats. It was the third shop when you turned to the princes. 

“Princes, I don’t understand why you would need me to come along with you. You have your own aides following beside you,” You said, gesturing to the nervous looking servants. They cowered when the princes shot them glares.

“That may be so, but we’d like your opinion as well,” Baekhyeon sighed.

“Yes, yours is the only one that matters,” Baek-Ah nodded.

“You do know best after all!” Baekhan smirked.

“I appreciate the compliments, but you can’t pull me away from prince Baekhyun. I am to stay by his side.”

“Ah, come on. Baekhyun can function by himself. He doesn’t constantly need you with him all the time.”

You side glanced at him to find him completely quiet, only listening in. He saw you looking and immediately turned his attention elsewhere. You looked back at the three princes in front of you and bowed. Surprise showed on their faces as you stood upright.

“I’m sorry, something has come up and prince Baekhyun needs to leave.”

“H-Huh?” He stammered as you ushered him out the shop, the princes being left behind. He looked at you in confusion and you softly chuckled.

“What? No thank you for saving you from your brothers?”

At that, a smile broke out onto his face and he grabbed hold of your wrist. He pulled you towards the castle and giggled.

“Thank you, Y/N!”

After returning to the castle, the two of you managed to get things prepared as well as get the king his gift. He watched from his bed as you wrapped it for him, his eyes filled with fascination. You chuckled, tying it to finish up the gift.

“All done?”

“All done.”

“Then, come here,” Baekhyun beckoned you over after laying down. You nodded and placed the gift on a nearby table. You moved a chair beside his bed and took a seat, sending him a small smile. You ran your hand through his hair to help him sleep when you suddenly felt his fingers intertwined with yours.

“Baek?” You whispered.

He softly smiled and gave your hand a squeeze. “I just need this tonight, is it okay?”

“You haven’t done this in a while,” You chuckled and he let out a whine.

“That’s because I’ve been sleeping in my library from all the work I have to get done,” Baekhyun huffed before smiling happily. “But it’s nice to hold your hand again, Y/N. I’ve missed your touch.”

“You’re weird,” You hummed, poking his forehead which made him laugh. It eventually faded as you said his name.

“Hm?”

“Is something the matter? You only ever do this when-” You stopped yourself and he sighed, looking up at you with sadden eyes.

“Y/N, you won’t ever leave me, will you?”

“Huh? Of course not. Where’s this question coming from?”

Baekhyun chuckled, seeing as how you got so worked up over that. He gave you a squeeze to reassure you. A sad smile creeped onto his lip and you immediately frowned.

“I just wanted to make sure, you know?”

“Baek,” You whispered and he looked away, biting his lip.

“Just seeing how easily my brothers can whisk you away made me realize you could slip away from me at any moment.”

“That’s not going to happen. I’ll make sure it won’t.”

He softly chuckled and nodded. “I’ll try even harder too.”

You gave his hand one last squeeze before telling him to get some rest. He smiled and got comfortable, so that he could do just that. His eyes closed and his breathing evened out, but not once did his hand let go of yours.

“Silly prince. I’ve been with you for so long, how could I think of ever leaving you?”


	7. Chapter 7

Since there was plenty of time before the birthday celebration, the four princes spent it sparring with each other. Baek-Ah and Baekhyeon were training at first before Baekhan whined to be put in. Shortly after, you and Baekhyun were walking by when they called you over. With taunting smirks on their faces, Baekhyun couldn’t refuse and joined in as well.

“You’re going to have to do better if you want to beat me, brother,” Baekhan laughed, swinging his wooden sword wildly. Baekhyun continued sparring, not the least bit fazed by his words. In fact, he kept one hand behind his back as they fought. Seeing that, a prominent scowl made its way onto Baekhan’s face. He clicked his tongue and took a step forward to press the weapon against his chest. Only, Baekhyun dodged it easily and let out a yawn. This seemed to anger Baekhan as he swung even faster. It ended in the younger prince’s defeat, the both of them coming to a stop. “I’ll get you next time.”

“I’m sure you will,” Baekhyun scoffed, rolling his eyes. He walked to you, panting heavily and you chuckled. A towel appeared before him and he lifted his gaze to meet yours. Seeing the sweet smile on your face lessened the anger he had built up in his chest. He grinned and thanked you for the towel. He wiped himself clean and chatted with you, his brothers being spectators. “How’d I do?”

“You did really good, Baek.”

His eyes lit up at the compliment. “Did I?”

You nodded and smiled. Instantly, his entire mood brightened and he gave you a big smile. You raised an eyebrow at the gittery prince who was anticipating your elaboration on how well he did. You hummed, thinking back to his match.

“You dodged that last move really well.”

“Yeah? Yeah?” He bounced up and down, his hands turning into fists.

“You hit a lot of fatal spots, so that’s good.”

“Ha, ha! I know how to defend myself, don’t I?” He winked and you chuckled. “What else? What else?”

“Mm, well there was that block you did when prince Baekhan kept swinging for a straight minute.”

“Ho, ho. I am pretty impressive, aren’t I?”

You stifled your laughter behind your hand and continued to list off all the good things he pulled in his match. His brothers had enough of the compliments fest and stomped over. Though, they kept their composure even when they were about to throw a fit themselves. You felt a tap on your shoulder in the midst of your compliment and you turned to the princes. Their scowls turned into smirks when you did so.

“Brother did very well, but what about us?” Baekhyeon asked.

“Yeah, he wasn’t the only one who won his matches,” Baekhan scoffed.

“Isn’t it unfair if you’re just complimenting Baekhyun?” Baek-Ah added. You stared at them, lost for words while Baekhyun clicked his tongue.

“Why would Y/N have to compliment you?”

“Stay out of this, brother,” Baekhyeon said, shoving his book in between you and Baekhyun.

“So? What were some of the good things we did, Y/N?” Baek-Ah questioned.

“Yeah, how did we do?”

You sighed before thinking about it. “I think you all did good as well.”

“You hear that? Y/N said I did really good!” Baekhan boasted.

“What are you talking about, stupid? Y/N said we all did good.” Baekhyeon scoffed.

“Wasn’t there one who did better than the others?” Baek-Ah pushed.

You struggled with their pestering as they shoved and bickered with each other. You tried to calm them down as best as you could, but they weren’t budging. You stole a glance at Baekhyun and he immediately looked away. You felt dejected when you saw the frown on his face. You quietly snuck away from the princes and walked over to your prince. You placed your hand on his shoulder and he looked up with sadden eyes. You softly smiled and gave him a squeeze.

“I changed my mind, Baek. You weren’t only good, you were amazing.”

“H-Huh?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said-”

“N-No, I did! It’s just that, well, it felt really good to hear that from you!” Baekhyun giggled. You let out a sigh of relief, happy that he was back to his cheery self. While you took care of business with the other aides off to the sideline, Baekhyun glanced over at his brothers. They were fuming with anger, which made him even more satisfied. He cocked a smirk towards them and they scowled.

“Baek,” You warned, coming up behind him. Instantly, he froze in his spot and slowly turned to you. He nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head.

“Y-Y/N, hey. I didn’t know you would be done so quickly.”

You put your hands on your hips, tapping your foot and waiting for his explanation.

“I saw that.”

“Saw what?”

“Stop taunting your brothers, Baek.”

“Aw, come on. Can’t I just have this one time?”

“No.”

“Y/N!” He whined and shook your arm back and forth. You sighed and told him to let go. He didn’t listen and continued to do so. You pinched his ear, making him let out a scream.

“Y-Y/N!” The other aides exclaimed, surprised by how you treated him. You brushed it off and kept your attention solely on the prince. You had a scary look on your face and Baekhyun couldn’t fight back against that. He whined for you to let go, but you didn’t listen. Instead, you started to pull him away by his ear while he tried to tug your hand away. Every servant were frantic, desperately yelling for you to let go while the three princes you left behind just scowled at the sight.

“Pathetic,” Baek-Ah scoffed.

“I don’t see what Y/N likes in him,” Baekhyeon sighed.

“I know! I mean why him? Why not me?” Baekhan exclaimed.

“No, you mean why not me?” The second prince interrupted.

“Certainly, I can do better than he ever could.”


	8. Chapter 8

“It’s been two days and I still haven’t seen Y/N with all of the things the servants need to get done.” Baekhyun pouted after spending some time walking around to find something to do to pass time. Having no success, he opted to sit on one of the benches in the courtyard. He sat down and let out a sigh, watching everyone rush around for the preparations today. After all, it’s the day of the King’s birthday party. 

He swung his legs back and forth while looking up at the sky. He closed his eyes to bask in the sunlight when he suddenly heard footsteps come up to him. He didn’t even have to open his eyes to know who it was. It was their annoying snickering and whispering that gave them away. He let out a tired sigh and met their gaze as he sat upright.

“Yes?”

They looked at each other and smirked with amusement. Baekhyun rolled his eyes and waved for them to continue.

“Spit it out, will you? I don’t have all day.”

“No, it’s just that we couldn’t help, but tease our pouting brother who’s missing his special someone,” Baekhyeon chuckled.

He stared blankly at them as they laughed. In his mind, he found them to be similar to the people who gossip and laugh over the misfortunes of others. 

“Is that it? Are you done?”

They ignored him.

“He’s been bummed out for the past few days that he refuses to go anywhere without Y/N,” Baekhan laughed.

“How childish,” Baek-Ah scoffed.

“Continue, it’s amusing,” Baekhyun scowled, waving his hand and giving them a mocking look.

“Aw, our dear brother is getting angry,” Baekhan cooed and pinched his cheek. Baek-Ah joined in and ruffled his hair while Baekhyeon patted his other cheek.

“And I’m the immature and childish one,” He mumbled to himself and rolled his eyes.

“Always with the snarky comments,” Baek-Ah scoffed and they stopped bothering him. One after another, they kept provoking him with their words. They got more brutal and vicious as his shoulders shook with anger.

“Enough! Quiet your mouths!” He snarled, standing up.

“Oh? It seems we were being too mean,” Baekhyeon cooed, giving his cheek two pats. Baekhyun pushed his hand away and clicked his tongue. The four of them glared at each other, a scary aura developing around them. Passing servants hurried to get out of that messy situation, afraid to intervene. Though, the bodyguards had enough and stopped the stare down before a fight could happen. The last thing they wanted on this special day was that. They whisked the princes in different directions as maids came to help them get prepared for the lunch with their fathers.

Baekhyun couldn’t calm down while getting dressed. He grumbled to himself and tapped his foot impatiently. The look on his face wasn’t exactly happy either, more so scary and threatening. That was why none of the servants dared to say anything until one of them did.

“Prince Baekhyun, please calm down. I can’t get your shoe on if you continue to do so,” She whispered, carefully choosing her words around him. His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed as he felt embarrassed.

“Yes, I apologize for that,” He gave her a small smile and she shook her head.

“No, no! It’s all right,” She giggled. Everyone around him now felt better and was more willing to approach him now. He gave them smiles and jokes to make them comfortable. Though, his brothers were still on his mind.

“You’re all set and ready to go, prince Baekhyun,” They said in unison. He giggled and thanked them for their time. Before the last servant could leave, he tapped her on the shoulder.

“Yes, prince Baekhyun?” She bowed.

He scratched the back of his neck and looked around. He then cleared his throat and leaned close to her, cupping his hand around his mouth.

“Say, have you seen Y/N?”

“I believe Y/N’s in the kitchen in preparation for the lunch with the King and princes.”

“I-Is that so?” He nervously laughed. “Oh, um, thank you.”

“Have a good day, prince Baekhyun.”

Once she was gone, Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief. Just as the thought of seeing you soon instantly made his heart happy. He gleefully grinned as he made his way to where the lunch was held.

“You’re here, Baekhyun. Welcome, come join me.”

“Father, happy birthday,” He bowed. The king waved him over to his seat beside him and he smiled, sitting down. He looked around at the decorations and the long table of utensils. He hummed a little tune, his attention now on focused on finding you. His father, who was carefully watching his son, chuckled to himself. It was clear to the king just how much the prince wanted to see you.

“Father, happy birthday,” The three princes greeted and bowed. He greeted them back and told them to sit. Despite them being here, Baekhyun didn’t really care. All he wanted was to see a glimpse of you before having to endure a lunch with his brothers.

“Shall we begin?” The king piped up and everyone nodded. Though, Baekhyun was a little bummed since he didn’t even see you. He sucked it up and proceeded with the celebration with his family. The tension from earlier was still very much present and it made things incredibly awkward for everyone, except the king and his sons. “So, tell me what you four have been up to.”

“Well, Baekhyun has been spending all of his time with Y/N by his side instead of his brothers,” Baekhan sighed. The king glanced at Baekhyun and he cowered a bit, hiding behind his cup.

“Yes, it is quite unfortunate,” Baekhyeon shook his head.

“You were the ones who were asking to spend time with Y/N as well!”

“Is that so? I don’t recall asking at all,” Baek-Ah raised an eyebrow. Baekhyun clicked his tongue and averted his attention elsewhere. The king watched as the princes bickered and glared at each other. He said nothing, knowing that this happened every time they were together.

This was going to be one long lunch.


	9. Chapter 9

“Did you hear?”

“About what?”

“The servants that were at the King’s lunch with the princes said it was very tense and awkward.”

“Yeah, I heard the princes argued in front of the king.”

“Did they really?”

“Isn’t that because they almost got into a big fight right before?”

“That’s also true too! The bodyguards were talking about it, how the princes almost got into a fistfight right before the lunch.”

“No way!”

You pushed through helping out in making preparations for the party while listening to the endless streams of gossip from every person coming in and out of the room. You were frustrated because of how they didn’t do their work and also because Baekhyun almost got into a fight without you there. You made a note to yourself to go have a chat with him later when you had time. For now, you were forced to endure the gossiping of the princes.

Having enough, you turned to them and glared at them as you spoke. “Can all of you get back to work? If you weren’t aware, we have a party to get ready for.”

Some went straight to work because of your sharp tone while others whined for you to let them continue with the gossiping. You rolled your eyes and shook off their grabby hands. They tried once more to convince you, but one look at you shut them right up.

“Save the gossiping for your own time. You’re wasting time instead of getting things done.”

“Yes, Y/N.”

With that, the gossiping stopped and you were allowed with some peace and quiet. You let out a sigh of relief and did what you needed to do. Because of everyone now working, you were all able to finish and released early. They bowed to you and scurried away. You checked around for little details before stepping back to look at your work. You nodded in approval and let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, seeing as how I finished early, I think I’ll go see Baek,” You mumbled to yourself after checking the time. You walked around the castle in search of him. He wasn’t in any of the places you expected him to be, so you tried his bedroom last. Thankfully, he was there, along with all eight bodyguards.

“I think it’s time to leave,” Suho cleared his throat and they bowed to the prince. He shoved them all out, which left Baekhyun confused by himself.

“Where are you goin-Y/N, h-hi.”

You said nothing and crossed your arms, tapping your finger against your arm in an impatient manner. He nervously laughed and turned his body towards you. You stomped your way in and stood in front of him, looking down at him.

“It’s good to see you?” He whispered and gulped.

“What is this about you and the princes getting into a fight, then arguing in front of the king?”

“Oh, you know. Typical prince and king kind of thing.”

“Uh huh.”

Baekhyun let out a whine. “Okay, look. I’m really sorry, okay? I didn’t mean for this to happen, but they just wouldn’t stop teasing me.”

“About what?”

He bit his lip and looked down at the ground, fiddling with his fingers.

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I was sulking in the courtyard and they saw, so they came over to provoke me about it. Then, at lunch, they made me look like the bad guy for not spending time with them and instead you.”

You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose.

“Why can’t they just leave the both of us alone?” He pouted and looked up, but didn’t meet your eyes. You pulled a seat in front of him and sat down. You cupped his face into your hands and gave him a small smile.

“Don’t let them get to you, Baekhyun.”

“I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t when it comes to you. They just,” He clicked his tongue.

“I know, Baek, but I told you I’m not leaving your side,” You whispered and he softly smiled, nodding. You patted his head before giving him a kiss on the nose. “However, I do need to get going again.”

“What, but you just said you’re not leaving my side and you also just got here!”

“I have some more work I have to get done, I had a quick minute to spare and I wanted to see you.”

He stared at you, then giggled happily. “You’re forgiven.”

You laughed and shook your head. You gave his head one more pat, then you stood up. He caught your arm before you could walk away.

“I’ll see you later, okay?”

You softly smiled. “Mm.”

After hours of running around, the party was all ready just in time for the guests to come in. You walked towards the corner, greeting whoever passed you at the same time. You took this time to collect yourself, so that you would make no mistakes later on in the night. Not even a few minutes later, the three princes came over to you.

“Y/N, pleasure to see you again,” Baekhyeon cooed.

“Come on, join us!” Baekhan grinned and grabbed hold of your wrist. You apologized and retracted your hand.

“I’m sorry, prince Baekhan, but I have lots to do. I can’t be with you for tonight. I hope you can understand.”

“Ah, boo. What a shame. I was really looking forward to being with you,” He pouted, which earned a slap to the back of his head from Baek-Ah.

“At least have a drink,” Baek-Ah offered a cup. “On me.”

“I’m sorry, but-”

“No need to apologize, Y/N. Just enjoy yourself. It’s Father’s birthday after all!” Baekhan laughed.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. However, I have a job to do,” You explained as your name was being called. The King waved you over with a smile and you bowed to the princes, excusing yourself. You let out a sigh of relief as you made your way towards him.

“When you’ve got some time, come see us, all right?” Baekhyeon called out and you nodded. Though, it was certain you won’t be having much time to spend with the princes. You shook it off and greeted the king, gaining the task of standing beside him while he received his birthday wishes. While you were doing that, you left behind some grumbling boys.

“I’ll swoop in and catch Y/N before that Baekhyun can do so.”

“Who says it’ll be you, Baekhan?”

“You’re really no competition either, Baek-Ah.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see who Y/N chooses then, huh?”


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as you stepped foot away from the king after he waved you away, the three princes approached you. Your eyes widened in surprise before you bowed your head.

“We told you that you don’t have to do that with us, Y/N,” Baekhan chuckled. He pulled you up and slung his arm around your shoulders. You opened your mouth to speak when Baek-Ah pulled his brother away from you.

“Don’t go hogging Y/N to yourself, you idiot.”

“I was not!”

“You surely were, you brat,” Baekhyeon hissed.

“Who do you think you’re calling a brat?” Baekhan scowled, getting into his older brother’s face.

“I apologize, but I must be going to tend to other matters,” You interrupted their bickering and bowed your head once more. Again, you were pulled back into their grasp. Baek-Ah had a tight, yet gentle grip on you and you weren’t sure what to do.

“You two are scaring Y/N, pipe down.”

“Oh, stop. You’re trying to win points with Y/N too. Let go of Y/N already,” The eldest clicked his tongue and he did just that. The three of them glared each other down and you quietly groaned.

“I have to get to Baekhyun before they notice I’m going.”

You managed to slip away from them, checking over your shoulder every so often to make sure they weren’t following. You quickly observed your surroundings in search of your prince and found him in a mere second. He was in the midst of laughing and joking with the higher ups. You softly smiled and hurried towards him. 

“Baek-” You reached out your hand to touch him when you were suddenly pulled back into the crowd. You gasped and looked up to see who it was.

“Caught you,” Baekhan smirked and booped your nose. He helped you stand up and you mumbled a thank you for helping you up. Though, you weren’t happy about being grabbed like that.

“Running off just like that? That hurt our feelings, Y/N,” Baekhyeon sighed.

“That was rather harsh of you,” Baek-Ah added on.

“Leaving us to rush to be by Baekhyun’s side again. Why must this always happen? It’s no fair,” Baekhan pouted.

“Well, I am his attendant.”

“But it’s father’s birthday, can’t you let loose just this once?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, prince Baekhan. It’s my duty to serve prince Baekhyun no matter where I am.” You bowed your head.

“Loyal to him as always. How bothersome,” Baekhyeon sighed.

“You’re just jealous that you don’t have Y/N by your side,” Someone chuckled. The four of you turned to find Baekhyun strolling up to you. He stood proudly beside you and gave a soft smile. He then turned to his brothers and a scowl instantly took over.

Baekhan scoffed. “Just talking to Y/N. Is there something wrong with that?”

“Of course there is. You’re harassing Y/N.”

Before he could defend himself, he was stopped by Baekhyeon who stepped in.

“This is why you can’t win Y/N’s heart. You let his words get to you so easily, you fool.”

Baekhan clicked his tongue and Baek-Ah stepped forward. He looked uninterested when he spoke to Baekhyun. 

“We were having a nice talk with Y/N. Stop ruining the mood, brother.” Baek-Ah narrowed his eyes.

Baekhyun scoffed. “You think I’m just going to let you bother Y/N any further?”

The three of them scowled at him.

“Why must you always get in the way of everything that involves Y/N?” Baekhan complained and took a step closer to you. Baekhyun quickly moved in front of you and protected you from them.

“Leave.”

With how threatening his voice sounded, all attention was turned to the four brothers. A scary atmosphere formed around them and everyone whispered amongst themselves. They watched the boys carefully, excited to see what was going to happen next. You gripped onto the back of his uniform and tried to pull him away, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Baek, enough of this now.”

“No, I’ve had it with them. For the whole time we were together, it’s been nothing, but fights because they can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves,” He snarled, which made them chuckle.

“Getting that riled up over some small fights? How boring.” Baekhyeon yawned.

“Enough,” Baekhyun snapped. Next thing you knew, the four of them were on the ground. Your eyes widened and you hurried to pull him off while the guards handled the other three.

“Baek, stop it!”

Everyone watched in horror at what the princes were doing. The king immediately rushed over to see what the commotion was about. He looked in disbelief as his sons were all a mess from the fistfight. You dragged Baekhyun away before he was given an earful from his father.

“Hey, I wasn’t done with them yet,” Baekhyun huffed and glanced up at you. You met his gaze with a glare and his breath hitched in his throat in surprise. He sighed and grew quiet as you pulled him to his room. He sat dejected on his bed while you tapped your foot impatiently.

“What is the matter with you? You didn’t have to do that! You caused trouble for everyone at the party tonight.”

Baekhyun tried to hold back his frustration, but every word you spoke made it hard for him to keep it inside.

“I saw them harassing you, Y/N! They couldn’t get away with that. I know I shouldn’t have started the fight, but they can’t-”

Baekhyun fell back onto the bed, his eyes widening in surprise. He looked down to find you hugging him tight.

“You idiot, you didn’t have to fight for my sake. Besides, I don’t want you getting hurt because of me,” You whispered and buried your face into the crook of his neck. His cheeks flushed as he slowly embraced you back. He gave you a squeeze and let out a sigh of relief. He ran a hand through your hair as you closed your eyes.

“Silly, of course I had to. It’s my duty to protect you.”


End file.
